ericsvb

I have a trailer hitch already installed- Now i need to wire for towing a trailer. Can I wire them on a plug and play type set-up? Or is this car wiring set-up for towing? On etrailer's website, i found two different wiring harnesses:
http://www.etrailer.com/Custom-Fit-V...cleid=20026220
and a cheaper one:
http://www.etrailer.com/t1-2002_Toyota_Camry.htm

WHY can or can I not utilize the camry plug-and-play set-up? Anyone play with the wiring?
I am completely competent in installing a universal trailer setup, but I want to do It "better" as Its my Lexus, (im sure all of you reading this know what I mean)
The more expensive harness has a transformer which i'm sure includes diodes and electronics which would be better- but is it worth 2x the price?
Please pitch in your opinions- I like info..
Thanks

Power6

Does the 2002 ES have the tail-light bulb warning system like the earlier cars? The wording is very generic in those links, but I am guessing the Lexus version will isolate the system from the light circuits so that the bulb mintor system does not light up the bulb out warning and continues to work with the trailer wiring. The Camry version would not need the extra isolation since the Toyota model does not have bulb outage monitoring.

ericsvb

Yes, it has the bulb monitor system.. This makes sense to me. Anyone else have any ideas? I like the camry system because it has a harness that looks like it just piggybacks into the wiring-- HOWEVER, I am leaning towards the lexus system because although it will be a little more work to set up, i think I will be happier with its performance.
Also-- Anyone know if lexus sells such a set-up? Maybe I should use that one...

ericsvb

Any more help out there, anyone? there are plenty of wiring options available for the RX, and even for the newer es350's...
Someone has to have wired their earlier es300...
If not, Ill have to update what I do for mine.

glassmaker

I'm going to resurrect this thread as I have essentially the same car (1999 ES300) and questions and can't find any useful answers anywhere. Does anyone make a plug-in wiring kit for the ES300? Like the previous poster, I'm fully capable of tapping into the present wiring to use a universal trailer wiring kit, but have no desire to do that. A plug-in setup that tees off the existing taillight harness connectors would be much better.

Does a Camry use the same harness plugs for the taillights? If so, I don't see why the appropriate Camry trailer harness wouldn't work, regardless of the bulb monitoring system on the Lexus.

Along those same lines, I'm perfectly willing to build my own harness if I can figure out where to get the specific connectors needed and exactly what each is called, to minimize the risk of ordering the wrong ones. Any help anyone?

Thanks.

ericsvb

If you haven't already, check etrailer.com I have found this company to be very helpful in getting the correct wiring harness. You can compare vehicles there to see if the Camry/Lexus parts are interchangeable. Hope this helps.

glassmaker

Good advice, and the first place I checked when I started looking. Unfortunately, no luck there. Camry yes, Lexus ES300 no. The site says they aren't the same, although who knows? It might just be that they've never had enough interest to check on it. It's unlikely there are a billion ES300 owners who want to use their car for a tow vehicle.

I think I'm going to resort to wandering the local junkyards with a pair of wire cutters. The problem I foresee is finding the correct female connector, since on the car the female part is the taillight bulb housing itself. But I should at least be able to find a Camry to compare the Lexus connectors to. If they're the same then fine, I'll just order a Camry trailer harness. There might also be some other connectors on the car that will fit, but I have no inclination to start pulling panels on my own car to look.

Anyway, if I find a reasonable solution I'll post it here.

glassmaker

Revisiting this as the project was set aside for a bit while I dealt with other things. I can definitely confirm that the Camry taillight connectors are different than those on the ES300, so a Camry plug-in harness will not work. (Anyone need a new Camry harness?) Looks like it's time to cut into the stock wiring harness, like it or not.